Container for container cars



April 13, 1937. e. c. WOODRUFF CONTAINER FOR CONTAINER CARS Filed Jan. 3, 1936 '7 Sheets-Sheet l ||l. lllllu 'INVENTOR.

a fiadraf A TTORNEY April 13, 1937. G. c. WOODRUFF 2,076,608

CONTAINER FOR CONTAINER CARS Filed Jan. 5, 1936 v Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

g 5mm 4: rim/1 BY 2 I I ATTORNEY.

April 13, 1937- (5., c. WOODRUFF 2,076,608

CONTAINER FOR CONTAINER CARS Filed Jan. 3, 1956 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. fl aa ng j I J/W ATTORNEY A r l 13, 1937.

G. c. WOODRUFF CONTAINER FOR CONTAINER CARS '7 Sheets-Sheet Filed Jan. 3; 1936 1 INVENT0R.4 BY faadr yjj Q jg/WNW.

Afipri! 13, 1937. G. c. WOODRUFF CONTAINER FOR CONTAINER CARS Filed Jan. 5, 1956 Ifim E INVENTOR.

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ATTORNEY April 13, 1937. (3. cl WOODRUFF CONTAINER FOR CONTAINER CARS Filed Jan. :5, 1936 7 Sheets-Sheetb INVENTOR. Wiaafz'yj' BY MA TTORNEY p l 1937- G. c. WOODRUFF CONTAINER FOR CONTAINER CARS Filed Jan. 5, 1936 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 Ila-.12

iTamlE INVEN TOR. if

ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 13, 1937 UNITED STATES CONTAINER FOR CONTAINER CARS Graham'O. Woodruff, Bronxville, N. Y.,

to The L. C. L. Corporation,

Delaware assignor a corporation of Application January 3, 1936, Serial No. 57,425

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in allsteel containers for container cars, and particularly to an all-steel container designed for shipping cement, lime and like materials in bulk. More particularly, the invention relates to. im-

provements in containers of that type in which the container is loaded through a filling opening in its top and the load discharged in bulk through a bottom outlet normally closed by drop doors.

One object of the invention is to provide an all-metal container having a filling inlet at its top, with novel means for reinforcing and closing said inlet, said top being formed with portions sloping from the inlet for the drainage of moisture outwardly therefrom.

Another object is to provide a container having anoutlet at its bottom, drop doors for closing the same, controlling elements for the doors movable in housings on the outside of the container, 0 and reinforcing corner posts on the outside of the container arranged to form guards to protect the housings from injury and guides for guiding the container into and out of the container car and holding the container from shifting on the Still another object of the invention is to provide novel means for limiting the closing 'movements of the doors and sealing the spaces between the doors and between the doors and the vertical walls of the container against the escape of lading material.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described and'claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an end elevation of a container of the type described embodying my invention.-

Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the container. Fig. 3 is a top plan view thereof. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section through the con tainer on line 4-4 of Fig. 2. I Fig. 5 is a view partially in end elevation, on an enlarged scale, of the lower portion of the container.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section on line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Figs. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 are vertical sections through the top portion of the container, taken, respectively, on the lines 1-1, 8-8, 99,

Ill-I0, Il-ll, l2-l2 and l3-l3, of Fig. 3.

Fig. 14 is a horizontal section similar to Fig. 4, but on an enlarged scale, through one of the corners of the container.

Fig. 15 is a vertical section on line l5-|5 of Fig. 16 is a vertical section through one end of the container showing the hinge mounting of one of the drop doors.

Fig. 17 is a vertical transverse section through the bottom of the container and the contacting edges of the drop doors and the door stop and seal.

Fig. 18 is a view similar to Fig. 1'? showing a modified construction of the door stop and seal.

Referring now more particularly. to the drawings, l represents the body of the container which in the example shown is of oblong rectangular form and comprises two long side walls 2, two short side walls 3 and a top wall l, the body being provided in its top wall with a filling opening 5,

and being provided at its bottom with a discharge opening 6 for the discharge of the'lading from the body.

The walls of the body are suitably formed of steel sheets riveted and/orwelded together and/or to suitable frame parts, the sheets being suitably reinforced throughout and structurally J braced whenever required to resist lifting and load carrying strains. The container is adapted to rest at its base or sill portions upon the floor of a container car or compartment thereof or upon the groundor a loading platform and is provided at its top with lifting links, eyes or their equivalent 6' for engagement with the lifting elements of a crane or other lifting device in lifting and transporting the container into and out of a container car.

The opening 5 in the top of the container is of rectangular or oblong rectangular form, and fitted and secured in this opening is a cast-metal hatch frame 1 clefiningthe inlet through which the cement, lime or other bulk lading is introduced. The lower portion of this hatch frame fits a suitable distance down into the container to properly guide the lading thereinto while the upper portion of the hatch frame projects sufiiciently above the top wall to provide for the proper formation of mounting parts thereon and to guard the filling opening against liability of flow of water from the roof surface thereinto. Angle metal reinforcing beams 8 extend beneath the roof sheets along two of the sides of theopening 5 between the opposed long side walls Zand are connected by angle metal supports 8 extending along the long sides of the hatch frame; and the roof sheets, reinforcing beams and supports and cast metal hatch frame are riveted or otherwise gidly united to form a roof structure which is of great strength and rigidity and moisture proof at all juncture points. The hatch opening is adapted to be closed in a moisture tight manner by a pan-shaped sheet steel hatch door 9 which sheet. As shown, the projecting ends of the beams II at the swinging side or edge of the door are notched to form keepers I3.'-','These keepers are adapted to receive swing bolts I4 pivoted to lugs I5 formed on the side of the hatch frame opposite that on which the hinge members I 2 .are formed, and said swing bolts carry pivoted cam members I6 whose cam surfaces are adapted to be brought into binding engagement with the upper faces of the keepers I3 to fasten the hatch door securely in closed position. Suitable holding means I! may be provided upon the door and hatch frame for the application of a seal, as shown in Fig. 13, when the container is filled for shipment and the hatch door closed and fastened. In order to further ensure the conduct of rain water or other deposited moisture away from the filling inlet,-the portions I8 ofthe. roof between the hatch and short sides 3 are sloped at a suitable pitch outwardly and downwardly toward said sides. When the door is swung openany moisturewhich may have been deposited upon its top surface will flow downward upon the adjacent surface I8 and drain by gravity off the roof of the container. -I V The outletor dischargeopening at the .bottom of the container, is adapted to be closed to confine the lading by a pair of drop doors I9 arranged on opposite sides of the longitudinal center of the container. :Each door comprises a pressed panshaped sheet steel body disposed so that the marginal portions thereof form depending flanges 20. The relatively outer side edges of the doors are connected by. hinges 2| to thesills of the long sides of the container to, adapt the doors to swing upwardly to a horizontal closed position to confine the lading and downwardly in opposite di- 'rections to vertical positionsso as to leave the discharge outlet free, and clearfor the-discharge of the .lading. The inner side edges ofv thedoors are provided with Z-bar of which are secured brackets 23 each provided with an eye 23' cast integral therewith. These brackets project outwardly beneath the end r flanges of thedoors and beyond the end sills of the container and to the eyes are attached the clevises or sockets 24 at the lower ends of door operating elements in the form of chains, cables orfother flexible connections 25, cables being shown in the present instance. These cables extend downwardly from the top of the container through guide housings 25' on the outside ofthe walls 3 and are connected at their upper endsto an eye 26 whereby the cables may be operated in unison bycsuitable controlling means to control the doors.

.In order to, provide spaces for the projectionof the brackets 23 outwardly beyond the endsills so that theintegrally cast eyeswill lie underneath the guide housings the bottom portions of the end sillsof the container are cut away, as at .21, and

these cutaway portions are reinforced by cast 'steelbraces 28 against which the Z-bar extensions or brackets contact when the doors, are in .closed position. At the stop of :each housingzis proyided a cast metal cap 29 which sustains therub reinforcements 22 to theends avoided. Also any moisture entering the housings at their upper ends is discharged at their lower ends outside the container. On the outside of the walls 3 adjacent to the corners of the-container are pressed channel shaped sheet steel posts 30 which reinforce the container body. and which project outwardly atleast the same distance from thewalls asthe housings to provide contacting surfaces to prevent damage to the housings by contact with extraneous objects. of the posts'are beveled, as at 3 I, to serve as guides when the container is lowered into position in a car and'the outer surfaces of the posts are shaped to provide fiat bearing surfaces for contact with adjacent containers, car sides or the like in order to properly space the container therefrom. and to prevent the container from. shifting'in the car.

Arranged within the container between and secured to theend walls 3 so as to be disposed above the swinging edges of the closed doors is a stop a and seal member 32. This is ,cross-sectionally of triangular form and composed of two properly shaped metal sheets 33 extending the long way of the container at'the center line and having flanged upper and lower edges riveted. or otherwise united. This member; isfixedin position so The lower endsthat its horizontal, base forms a stopgto'limit' the closing movement of the swinging edsesof the doors, and in the closed "positionofthe doors such base laps equally over such ,edgespf the doors and closes the spacebetweenv the same The sides of'this triangularxmembenfl form sloping surfaces or deflectors over which the lading may readily flow in its discharge. Instead of employing this construction of stop and seal member-32 any equivalent-form of stop and seal against the leakage of the lading atthls 9 11 1;.

member may be employed. An example of a modified form of center door stop and seal mem her which may be employed is shown in Fig. 18,

in which the stop and seal member is formed of two contact strips or pieces 33 offabric beltingsecured to an inverted v-shaped or com nercial angle metal shield 32'; thestrips33' serving to contact the drop doors and form'atightseal and the angle32 serving as a shield ordeflector like the sloping sides .of the member 32, as be readily understood.

. In addition to 32 or 32 marginal container walls and door margins against the. I

escape of lading at these points. The free edges of the portions 35 and 36 are flanged for attachment by rivets or otherwise to the walls 2 land .3.

the center door stop ahdfseal stop'and seal members for. the doors are also provided on the inner sides of the wallsof the container To these members .34 the ends of the sheetsf33' of member 32 are joined by welding. Brtheiu ees the members 32 and .34 stable abutments orstops are provided against. which the doors .close, which abutments in the closed position-of the-doors seal the crevices betweenthe doorsand betweemthe doors and container walls to prevent leakagepf:

lading, and which abutments offer no impedance in the open position of the doors to the free discharge of the lading. In addition to the protection afforded by the use of these members 32 and 34 additional protection is provided by pressing an upstanding sealing ridge or rib 31 into each door sheet. These ridges extend around the margins of each door so as to be parallel to and contact with the members 32 and 34 in the closed position of the doors, thus further sealing the joints against possibility of leakage of the lading material.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings, the construction and mode of use of my improved construction of container for shipping cement, lime and the like material in bulk will be readily understood and its advantages appreciated by those versed in the art without a further and extended description. While the structure disclosed herein for purposes of exemplification is preferred, it is to be understood that various changes in the form and proportions of the parts and the details of construction may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A container of the character described comprising a body having a top inlet and a bottom outlet, drop doors for closing the outlet, housings on two opposite side walls of the container, controlling elements for the drop doors extending through the housings, and posts on said walls of the housings projecting outwardly from said walls to at least the same distance as the housings.

2. A container of the character described comprising a body having a top inlet and a bottom outlet, drop doors for closing the outlet, housings on two opposite side walls of the container, controlling elements for the drop doors extending through the housings, and posts on said walls of the housings projecting outwardly from said walls to at least the same distance as the housings, said posts having beveled lower ends terminating above the horizontal plane of the bottom of the container.

GRAHAM C. WOODRUFF. 

